Acetylene-gas generator.



J. T. & T. C. HAYS.

AUETYLBNE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1911.

' 1,026,507. Patented May 14, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. o m 8 I wue/vl/bo cs James T. Hays Thomas G. Hays COLUMBIA PLQNoaRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. C.-

J. T. & T. C. HAYS.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1911.

Patented May 14, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

llamas; T.H0. s

{WWW

ThomasCJ-iq. s

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. HAYS AND THOMAS C. HAYS, OF EMMITSBURG, MARYLAND.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 18, 1911.

' such as will enable others skilled in the art .feeding the carbid thereto.

One of the object-s of the invention is in the provision of a practical and eificient apparatus of the character described whereby all danger is properly and practically eliminated in charging the apparatus with the carbid.

Another object of the invention consists in the employment of a motor which is automatically operated for feeding the carbid to produce the proper quantity of gas generated by the gradual feeding of said carbid in proper proportion to the water located in the gas producing tank.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure lis a side elevation of the complete invent-ion. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the invention as applied to the carbid receiving tank with the gasometer removed. Fig. 3 is an end view of the com plete generator. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the invention. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the brake levers forming a part of the motor. Fig. 7 is also a perspective view of one of the movable parts of the motor and providing a brake therefor. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the arm of the motor which is employed in connection wit-h the removable cap of the carbid receiving tank. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the frictional engaging lever for automatically holding the valve releasing rod of the machine.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention 1 represents a gasometer which is of the usual construction and provided with a telescoping upper portion or bell 2 which is adapted to be elevated by the volume of the gas contained within the same, said upper portion having an outwardly extended apertured bracket 3 which is slidably mounted upon a vertical guiding rod l projecting from one side of the gasometer or gas receiving tank 1, the purposes of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The carbid feeding portion of the apparatus is especially constructed to produce a practical device of this character and is composed of a carbid receiving receptacle 5, suitably designed and constructed, the lower end of-which is provided with a neck 6 whereby said receptacle is properly supported upon the gas producing tank 7.

The receptacle 5 for primarily receiving the carbid is provided with an opening 8 of suflicient size to freely admit said carbid and is temporarily closed by a screw threaded cap or cover 9 having an annular outwardly projecting flange 10 which is adapted to cooperate with the motor in a manner hereinafter described.

The inclined top of the carbid receptacle 5 is properly formed to provide a seat 11 Y and mounted upon the same and forming a part thereof 1s an 011 receiving cup 12, and rlgldly formmg a part of said cup and depending therefrom within the receptacle 5 is a tube 13 which preferably extends to the lower end of the said receptacle or communicating neck portion thereof.

The upper attached end of the tube 13 is provided with an enlarged head 1a having a receiving socket 15 for the reception of a removable collar 16 within which is revolubly located balls 17 upon which the annular cone shaped lower portion of the flange 18 is in contact when the shaft 19 is properly positioned. Removably and adjustably secured to the upper end of the enlarged head portion 1 1 is a cap 20 which is adapted to clamp a disk 21 against suitable packing 22 disclosed between said disk and the upper edge of the collar 16 whereby a hermetically sealed connection is obtained during the rotation of the vertical intermittently operfect and hermetically sealed connection thereby formed, the oil being fed to the top of the cap by the rotation of the shaft as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

Located within the carbid receiving receptacle 5, at a suitable distance from the delivery end thereof and above the connecting neck 6 and secured to the tube 13 is an annular inclined deflecting diaphragm 24, the outer edge of which extends a suitable distance to provide an annular space for the free and uninterrupted passage of the carbid located within the receptacle 5, it being understood however, in this connection that the annular space thus produced is less than the delivery annular opening 25 in the lower portion of the receptacle whereby the latter is not choked by the passage of the carbid therethrough, therefore assuring the perfect operation of the apparatus under all conditions.

The lower end of the vertical shaft 19 extends a suitable distance below the delivery end of the carbid receptacle 5 and practically into the neck portion 6 thereof, and fixedly mounted upon said lower end of the shaft is a disk 26 upon which the carbid is deposited previous to being thrown or jarred therefrom into the tank 7, in which the water is located, said disk being intermittently ro' tated in a manner now to be described.

Rigidly fixed to the upper or projecting end of the shaft 13 is a ratchet disk 27 with which a gravity actuated pawl 28 is freely engaged, said pawl being hingedly mounted upon the upper end of the bell crank lever 29 movably secured to one side of the oil cup 12, the opposite ends of said lever being weighted as shown at 30, whereby the pawl is held in proper engagement with the ratchet disk 27.

The motor employed is especially designed for the purpose and is composed of a frame 31 which is rigidly supported upon the inclined top of the carbid receptacle 5 and substantially in a horizontal position.

The motor referred to consists of a main winding shaft 32 to the outer projecting end of which a crank or other tool may be arranged for rotating the same and thus winding the motor for subsequent operation. Fixed to the shaft 32 is a cord or rope receiving drum 33, the inner flange of which is provided with ratchet teeth 34 which engage with a spring actuated pawl 35 carried by the main driving gear 36 revolubly mounted upon said shaft 32. Also mounted within the frame 31 of the motor adjacent to the driving gear 36 is a gear 37 having a pinion 38 secured to the shaft thereof for meshing with the main driving gear 36, and mounted on the lower portion of said frame 31 is a shaft 39 having a pinion 4O fixed thereto and meshing with the gear 37 whereby rotation is imparted to the wheel 41 to the circumferential edge of which is applied a brake mechanism to be hereinafter de scribed.

The gear 37 is secured to the shaft 42, the latter projecting a suitable distance from the side of the frame and provided with diametrically disposed arms 43 from which project pins 44 for intermittently contacting with the weighted end of the bell crank lever 29 during the movement of the motor, whereby the shaft 19 is likewise rotated for the purposes previouslv described.

Projecting upwardly from the generator or any other desirable or stationary part of the same, is an arm 45, the upper end of which is provided with a pulley 46 over which a cord or rope 47 passes, one end of the latter being attached to the drum 33 and to its opposite end is secured the weight 48, Wherebv motion is imparted to the motor.

Movably mounted in the inner end of the frame 31 of the motor is an arm 49 which is angularly directed and projects beyond the side of the carbid receptacle 5, and movably secured to the neck portion 6 and projecting therefrom is a lever 50, which is flexibly at tached to the outer end of the arm 49 by a chain or rope 51. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the outer end of the lever 50 projects a suitable distance and is in proper alinement to cause the bracket 3 carried by the bell portion of the gasometer to come in contact therewith when the volume of the gas is reduced within said gasometer during the usual consumption of the gas thereby elevating the weighted end 51 of the arm 49 and simultaneously releasing the upper end of the brake shoe 52 from its engaging position with respect to the edge of the wheel 41, thus permitting the motor to become operative and in consequence intermittently and properly feed a suflicient quantity of carbid to the generator 7. If, however, an accident should occur by break or leakage in the gas supply pipe or gasometer thereby causing a rapid release of the gas from the latter, the hell 2 will suddenly drop causing the bracket 3 to come in contact with the arm 50 and move the same downward to its full limit of movement, causing the opposite or lower end of the shoe 52 to frictionally contact with the wheel 41, and thereby retard the action of the motor. It is further to be observed in this connection that when the bell 2 is slowly lowered by the usual c0nsumption of the gas and the bracket 3 gently contacts with the lever 50, the opposite ends of the brake shoe 52 will be released from the edge of the wheel 41, and the motor will therefore become active, producing a suflicient amount of gas within the gasometer to again elevate the bell and retard the action of the motor. The governor for the motor is especially designed for the purpose, and is automatic in its action and constructed in a manner now to be described.

Projecting from the inner surface of the wheel 4E1 are a series of pins 53, which are adapted to intermittently contact with the depending arm 54 of the gravity actuated finger 55, which is movably mounted upon the shaft 452, the engaging end of said fin ger element intermittently contacting with the edge of the wheel 11 for controlling the speed of the motor.

Movably mounted in the rear upper portion of the frame 31 is a gravity actuated arm 56 the weighted end of which is provided with a downwardly curved finger 57 which is normally in contact with the engaging end of the finger 55 for holding the latter in frictional contact with the edge of the wheel 4-1 when the cover or cap 9 is loosened or removed from the carbid receptacle 5, thereby automatically retarding the movement of the motor and preventing a further supply of carbid from being fed into the gas producing tank 7, and when said cover is removed, the tank can be safely filled with carbid.

The outer or free end of the arm 56 is normally disposed between the flange 10 of the cover 9 and the upper edge of the receiving end of the carbid receptacle and it will be thus observed that when the cap or cover is properly adjusted to completely close or hermetically seal the said receptacle the arm 56 will be depressed causing its inner contacting end to move out of engagement with the finger 55 thus permitting the motor to become active for-intermittently feeding the carbid to the gas producing tank in a manner previously described.

Rigidly secured to the receptacle 5 adjacent to its receiving end is an apertured lug 57 to one side of which is hingedly attached a gravity actuated arm 58 having a contacting engaging end 59 which is impingingly brought into contact with a rod 60 which freely moves within the apertured lug previously referred to. Leading from the lower end of the neck portion 6 of the carbid receptacle 5 is a pipe 61 which supplies the acetylene gas thus produced to the gasometer and is connected therewith, said pipe being provided with a valve 62, the turn plug of which is provided with two arms one of which is attached to the lower end of the rod 60 and having its opposite ends hingedly connected to a rod 63 properly guided along the length of the gas generating tank '7 and connected to a valve 64 for controlling the outlet of water from said tank.

As clearly shown in the drawings the upper end of the rod projects a suitable distance above the cap or cover 9 and is manually operated or depressed when it is desired to turn said cover in order to permit the handle 65 to be freely turned when it is desired to remove the cover. It will thus be observed that by the construction and ar rangement of the part-s referred to the valve 62 must be operated before the cover or cap 9 is removed from the carbid receiving tank 5 and thereby relieving the gasometer from subsequent pressure of the gas previously confined and permitting the same to pass into the atmosphere through the discharge passage 66 whereby a perfect and practical apparatus is constructed and avoiding the danger accompanying apparatus of this character.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the carbid feeding mechanism is practical and eflicient under all and any circumstances to which the same may be subjected, and further, that it is impossible to refill or replenish the carbid receptacle without automatically retarding the movement of the motor which governs the various operative parts of the device.

A clearly shown and described, the cover or cap 9 forming the closure for the carbid receptacle 5 performs a very important and essential function of the device and by its use and application the motor is not only controlled but the valve governing the supply of gas into the gasomet-er is simultaneously and properly directed whereby the action of the machine is automatic and under perfect control of the operator and therefore all accidents are practically eliminated.

As clearly shown the gravity actuated arm 58 is provided with a lug 23, for engagement with the cover or cap 9, when the latter is turned in a binding position upon the carbid receptacle 5, thus permitting the rod 60 to be freely depressed for operating the valve 62. It is further to be noted in this connection that when the cover 9 is released or removed the contacting engaging end 59 of the arm 58 will automatically hold the rod 60 in a locked position for securing the valve 62 in an open position.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:

l. The combination with a carbid feeding device for acetylene gas generators, of a motor for actuating the same, a brake mechanism for controlling said motor, the latter comprising a rotary member, a brake shoe the opposite ends of which are adapted for frictional engagement with the & 1,026,507

peripheral edge of the rotary member, means for controlling said brake shoe by the volume of gas generated whereby the momentum of the motor is gradually stopped as the volume of gas becomes excesslve and whereby the motor becomes inactive upon a sudden and accidental release of the gas.

2. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination of carbid feeding means, a motor for actuating the same, a rotary member actuated by the motor, a pivoted brake shoe forming a part of the motor and adapted to have either of its ends engage said member to stop the motor, means for holding one end of said shoe normally in contact with said rotary brake member, a movable trip operatively connected to said shoe to move the same, and a gasometer having a movable member arranged in the path of said trip adapted to engage the same.

3. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination of carbid feeding means, a motor for actuating the same, a rotary member actuated by the motor, a rocking brake shoe adapted to have either of its ends engage said member to stop the motor, a weight carried by said shoe to hold one of its ends in contact with said member to stop the motor, an arm forming a part of said brake shoe, a trip lever secured to said arm, a gasometer having a movable bell, and means upon said bell to engage and actuate said trip lever, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES T. HAYS. THOMAS C. HAYS. Vitnesses H. E. VEANT, FRANK WV. VVEANT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

